


Pariah

by soldiermom1973



Series: 1,000 years (A Reconciliation Story) [27]
Category: Mass Effect (Comics), Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect - Various Authors, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Biotics, Bonding, Gen, N7 Month 2017, N7 month, Pariah - Freeform, cleaning weapons, downtime, outcast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:33:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21596179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soldiermom1973/pseuds/soldiermom1973
Summary: Allie spends some time bonding with her crew and the conversation turns to biotics.
Relationships: Ashley Williams & Urdnot Wrex, Female Shepard & Ashley Williams, Female Shepard & Garrus Vakarian, Female Shepard & Liara T'Soni, Female Shepard & Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Female Shepard & Urdnot Wrex, Garrus Vakarian & Ashley Williams, Garrus Vakarian & Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Kaidan Alenko & Ashley Williams, Kaidan Alenko & Garrus Vakarian, Kaidan Alenko & Liara T'Soni, Kaidan Alenko & Urdnot Wrex, Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard, Liara T'Soni & Ashley Williams, Liara T'Soni & Garrus Vakarian, Liara T'Soni & Urdnot Wrex, Urdnot Wrex & Garrus Vakarian, Urdnot Wrex & Tali'Zorah nar Rayya
Series: 1,000 years (A Reconciliation Story) [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1460416
Kudos: 12





	Pariah

**Author's Note:**

> For [N7 Month](https://n7month.tumblr.com/post/188450175349/n7-month-challenge) over on Tumblr, the prompt was 'pariah'.
> 
> Just some filler, nothing really new as the crew talks about biotcs in each of their cultures.

Another day, another mission, another chance for Allie to sit with her crew post-op and bond as they took care of their gear. This time when she walked in, Liara was talking about her biotics and how all asari just have them.

“The fact that it is considered a mutation among other species is strange to me,” she admitted as Allie sat in her normal spot between Ash and Kaidan. “All asari have biotics. Not all choose to develop their abilities, however, and those that do, do not require an amp or port.”

“Wrex, you're a biotic, right?” Tali asked. “Are there a lot of krogan like you?”

“There are no other krogan like me,” Wrex chuckled, “but no, krogan biotics are rare.”

“I think they're unusual for most species,” Kaidan chimed in. “I mean it requires fetal exposure to element zero...”

“Which is why there aren't a lot of quarian biotics,” Tali interjected. “We have our suits and if there is an accident on one of the ships that would release that much eezo, it would probably kill everyone else. Plus, we quarians can't just throw eezo about all willy nilly to test exposure theories.”

“Did you just say 'willy nilly'? Ash asked.

Tali paused what she was doing and glanced around the group. “I overheard Engineer Adams use it. Did I say it wrong?”

Allie had to laugh at the panic in the young woman's voice. “You're fine, Tali,” she said.

“Yeah,” Ash agreed. “It's just weird hearing you say it. Cute, though.”

Tali straightened up a little and Allie could almost hear her bask in the praise. “So, anyway, I don't know of any biotic quarians, though my father told me they exist. They probably come about from their parents meeting on pilgramage or something and get exposed that way.”

“Makes sense,” Garrus nodded. “There aren't a lot of turian biotics, either. They aren't generally trusted and when a turian develops those abilities, they're put into special cabal units and used for bigger missions. Turian biotics are generally just pariahs in our society.”

“Did you ever work with any?” Kaidan asked. “Conatix didn't seem to have a problem finding some to staff brain camp. We had dozens there.”

“Probably all discharged and from what you've said, most of them dishonorably.” Garrus didn't bother to hide the disgust in his voice. It was no secret he hated any turian that behaved less than magnanimously. “But yes, I worked with one or two. They seemed decent enough at the time. They weren't very powerful, though, nothing like you or Shepard.

Allie could feel her face heat up and a glance at Kaidan told her he was just as embarrassed as she was. They both knew they were among the strongest human biotics around, but neither of them cared to call attention to it.

“It's interesting you used the word 'pariah',” Liara said. “It's sad that your people are so distrustful of your own kind simply because they possess unique abilities.”

“It isn't just the turians,” Allie said. “Humans are the same way. My abilities manifested when I was around ten or eleven and I lost a lot of friends because of it. I mean, some thought it was cool that I could lift a textbook once I got my amp, but there were a lot who just didn't like me. It led to a lot of bullying. Even after I enlisted, people avoided me because of my biotics. I felt like I had to work harder to prove I was just as good as everyone else.”

“She's right,” Kaidan added. “It was the same for me. That was the one nice thing about BAaT – we were all biotics. Freaks. We all knew what it was like to be singled out and picked on, so we stuck together in there.”

He sighed and stared at his pistol for a moment before continuing. “Even now, most people in the galaxy see us as freaks and outcasts. But accepting it and embracing it can be the difference between success and sitting at home in your PJs taking red sand.”

There was another moment of silence before Liara spoke again. “I am so sorry you have to deal with that, Kaidan. And you, Shepard. It's just so foreign to me, to know there are biotics out there who aren't accepted as part of their culture.”

“Well, think about it,” Ash said as she made sure her rifle was properly reassembled, “you grew up with it. You don't have anything to compare it to. It's like asking Kaidan what it's like being an only child or me having sisters. That's all we know. I mean, I know people who have brothers, but I can't compare that with having sisters because I don't know what it's like.”

“That is true,” Liara said. “I had not looked at it like that. I guess it is also similar to people who assume all asari are women. Yes, we use female pronouns and appear to have a similar physique to most other female species in the galaxy, but we are all monogender, so male/female really has no meaning for us.”

For the next half hour or so, the shuttle bay was mostly quiet as everyone cleaned their armor and reassembled their weapons. There was the occasional request for gun oil or the metallic clank of a bolt sliding home, but otherwise a hush fell over the group as they worked. Allie thought about what everyone said about their species' reaction to biotics and wondered if there would ever be a time when people like her, Kaidan, and Wrex would be looked at with warmth instead of fear.

Tali was the one to finally break the silence. “I have to ask, what are PJs?”

The humans laughed and the conversation turned to what other people wore to sleep. Allie was thankful she and Kaidan both found a home and a group of people that didn't view their abilities with disdain and fear. It was nice to finally be somewhere where neither of them was a pariah anymore.


End file.
